We had lunch at Zhao Lihua's house in the afternoon, and the three of us agreed to meet at Han Ming's house at 8:30 the next morning.

After the meal, Han Ming and Zhuang Yan stood by the peach tree in front of the door, staring blankly at the river in front of them.

The two of them just stood there quietly watching the river. When he was a child, Han Ming used to swim in this river. The water was so clear back then.

On the dock built by their own family, you can see snails clinging to the side, and fish and shrimp swimming around in the river.

With a single dive, he could grab a clam and bring it up, and then the solemn grandfather would cook clam and tofu soup for these little brats.

Back then, we were young, and the kids were incredibly excited to be able to eat soup made from river clams they had caught themselves.

It's as if they are adults, capable of standing tall and upright.

Unfortunately, the river is now polluted, and no one wants to swim in it anymore.

The old man who used to cook clam and tofu soup with a smile also passed away several years ago.

"Brother Ming." Zhuang Yan had always called Han Ming that since they were children.

"Tell me, did I do something wrong?"

Han Ming didn't look at Zhuang Yan because he knew that Zhuang Yan didn't want him to see his dejected face at this moment.

"Some things, you can only say whether you did them or not, not whether they were right or wrong."

Han Ming said calmly.

“I think I was wrong. Yesterday I came home with my luggage, but I didn’t dare to step into the house. I don’t know how to face my parents.”

His solemn voice trembled slightly.

"Actually, I tried my best, I tried my best to restrain myself, but in the end I still failed."

I deserted. I wasn't a good child before, I wasn't a good soldier now that I'm grown up, and I've certainly not been a good son.

Han Ming looked at Zhuang Yan and saw that his shoulders were trembling.

“My dad never smokes, but last night he smoked for a long time with his head down. My mom is such a cheerful person, but last night she was like a lost soul, just sitting on the stool in a daze.”

Zhuang Yan took a deep breath:

"Ming-ge, I was really wrong, I regret it so much."

Han Ming moved a little closer to Zhuang Yan, put his arm around his shoulder tightly, and said nothing.

After a while, Han Ming spoke:

"Some things, once done, are done. If you know you're wrong, then don't make the same mistake again. We're still young, and we have plenty of time to make up for the mistakes we've made."

"But I don't know what else I can do. I'm just a soldier, and I don't have any special skills. I never even considered leaving the army, but now I'm completely lost."

Solemnity was in low spirits.

Hearing him say that, Han Ming couldn't help but think of himself and that period of time before.

Like Zhuang Yan, he sat alone on the overhead crane in the workshop, staring blankly at everything before him.

Without thought, without direction, like a shell whose soul has been emptied.

However, a series of subsequent encounters reignited Han Ming's passion.

The magical artifact that fell from the sky, and his smiling girlfriend Dong Xiaolu, were the guiding lights that led him out of his dark world.

The solemnity of the present also needs a guiding light. If Han Ming doesn't do this glorious yet arduous task, who will?

Are we just going to watch our brother continue to sink into despair?

Han Ming picked up two pebbles from the ground by the river and gave one to Zhuang Yan.

He said with a smile:

“Zhuangyan, do you remember when we were little, we used to play with tiles and skip them across the water? Back then, your family still lived in an old tile-roofed house, and I remember there was a pigsty over there.”

Han Ming looked to one side, as if searching for the location of the pigsty from his past memories.

"Of course I remember. There were a lot of old bricks and broken tiles on the ground back then. I remember once we threw stones into the river like crazy."

For this, I got a beating from my grandfather. As far as I can remember, that was the only time I ever got a beating from him.

Zhuang Yan was also lost in memories.

With a "plop," Han Ming threw the small stone in his hand into the river in front of him, creating a ripple.

Zhuang Yan followed suit, throwing out a small pebble, which rippled outwards in two circles.

"Zhuang Yan, if you're interested, let's go out and explore together in the future."

Han Ming clapped his hands and said earnestly to Zhuang Yan.

"Sure, but I'm afraid you won't like me."

Zhuang Yan nodded in agreement without hesitation.

After saying that, the two looked at each other and laughed.

Han Ming then told Zhuang Yan about some recent events that had happened in his family, and also mentioned the game development project.

Of course, I haven't told him about the glasses and printer yet; there's plenty of time, we'll take it slowly later.

"Are you going to the provincial capital tomorrow just to discuss the extension of your dad's factory's bank loan?"

After listening to Han Ming's story, Zhuang Yan asked a question.

"Yeah, otherwise you would have thought I took your mom on a trip to the provincial capital."

Han Ming joked:

"Taking Mom and Dad out to see the world and explore the world is my responsibility. From now on, it's up to you."

After Han Ming finished speaking, he punched Zhuang Yan lightly and left the riverbank. Zhuang Yan's earnest voice came from behind him:

"Ming-ge, I will definitely work hard in the future."

After saying goodbye to Zhuang Yan and Zhao Lihua, Han Ming set off to go home.

Zhuang Yan insisted on going to town, ostensibly to visit Han Ming's father.

But Han Ming had things to do when he got back, so he didn't have time to spend with him.

Besides, Dad would definitely be taking a nap in the afternoon, so what's the point of going now? I politely declined his offer and told him to stay home and prepare, and we'd go to the provincial capital together tomorrow morning.

Besides, Zhuang Yan's parents are still angry, and he needs to work on them at home.

Zhuang Yan thought that he could visit Han Ming's father at Han Ming's house the next morning, so he didn't insist anymore.

Under the scorching sun, Han Ming finally arrived home, opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of cola, and started drinking.

Looking at the brand-new refrigerator, Han Ming gently patted the refrigerator door and praised it, saying, "Great!"

I connected the power cord to the printer in the workshop and checked the completion status of the settings I had made that morning.

The interior design drawings at the design center looked quite good and met Han Ming's overall requirement for a clean and tidy environment.

Looking at the list of raw materials that the renovation workshop lacks, it seems that not many things are needed.

Han Ming sent a text message to Liang Jianxing, and reiterated that the raw materials should be put into the workshop, and he would start the printer to make modifications in the evening.

During the day, let Liang Jianxing figure out how to cover it up himself, as long as the gatekeeper, Old Fan, knows that the workshop is under renovation.

Having settled this, Han Ming went back to the "virtual game room" to conduct game development and testing. Now, the game was his only hope for a comeback, and he couldn't afford any mistakes.

However, before going in, he sent a text message to Dong Xiaolu to avoid his girlfriend thinking that he didn't miss her.

Dong Xiaolu replied quickly and simply, saying she was busy and would call back after get off work.

Han Ming smiled slightly as he looked at the text message on his phone, put the phone aside, and then turned on the "virtual game room" on his glasses.